Bureau of Land Management California Forest and Woodlands Resource Management | L22AS00263

Opportunity Information: Apply for L22AS00263

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) California Forest and Woodlands Resource Management opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number L22AS00263) is a discretionary federal funding program administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior through BLM. It is offered as a cooperative agreement, which typically means BLM expects to have substantial involvement in the project after an award is made (for example, coordination, technical input, or shared responsibilities during implementation). The program sits within the Natural Resources funding activity area and is associated with CFDA/Assistance Listing 15.233. In practical terms, the opportunity is aimed at supporting work that helps manage, restore, or improve forest and woodland resources on or connected to BLM-managed lands in California, consistent with BLM resource management priorities.

A key point in this announcement is who can and cannot apply. Individuals and for-profit organizations are explicitly ineligible. Eligible applicants are primarily public-sector and nonprofit or educational entities, including state governments, counties, cities or townships, special district governments, independent school districts, public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, federally recognized Native American tribal governments, tribal organizations that are not federally recognized governments, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, and nonprofit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status, as long as they are not institutions of higher education). This eligibility structure signals that BLM is seeking partners with public missions, community or conservation purposes, and established administrative capacity to carry out natural resource projects under federal assistance rules.

The notice also includes an important restriction related to youth hiring and internships. This NOFO does not support entities that want to hire interns or crews under the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993. BLM points out that the Public Lands Corps Act (16 USC, Chapter 37, Subchapter II) is the specific legislative authority that allows BLM to "hire" interns under that framework, and that projects involving eligible Youth Conservation Corps must be pursued under a different funding opportunity: NOFO 15.243, titled BLM Youth Conservation Opportunities on Public Lands. The practical takeaway is that applicants should not propose projects that depend on staffing models structured as Public Lands Corps internships or crews under this particular NOFO; if a project concept relies on youth corps hiring authorities, the applicant should redirect that concept to the youth-focused NOFO instead.

From the funding perspective, the listed award ceiling is $300,000, meaning that is the maximum expected federal share per award under this announcement. The opportunity originally closed on May 9, 2022, and it was created on March 8, 2022. While the number of expected awards is not provided in the source text, the ceiling gives a sense of the scale BLM anticipated: projects are likely intended to be meaningful but still manageable in scope, potentially supporting on-the-ground forest and woodland management actions, planning and assessments, partnership-based implementation, monitoring, or other resource management activities consistent with BLM priorities and authorities in California.

Overall, this opportunity is best read as a partnership-focused funding vehicle for public agencies, tribes, universities, and nonprofits to collaborate with BLM on California forest and woodland resource management projects, with clear guardrails: no individuals or for-profit applicants, and no proposals built around Public Lands Corps internship/crew hiring under this NOFO (those concepts belong under the separate BLM youth conservation funding track).

• The Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Bureau of Land Management California Forest and Woodlands Resource Management" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.233.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-03-08.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-05-09. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $300,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for L22AS00263

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